Cases against Zardari can't be reopened as he enjoys constitutional immunity: Swiss AG

Published: Sunday, April 11, 2010, 12:09 [IST]

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Lahore, Apr.11 (ANI): Switzerland's Attorney General (AG) Daniel Zappelli has once again clarified that corruption cases against Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari cannot be reopened, as he enjoys constitutional immunity.

Zappelli said Geneva could not open the money-laundering cases against Zardari even if it receives official request from Islamabad.

"According to international rules, which Switzerland also applies, any chief of a state, prime minister or foreign affairs minister of any country enjoys absolute immunity," The Daily Times quoted Zappelli, as saying.

He, however, said that Pakistan's National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had requested the Swiss government to reopen the cases, but the documents were not complete according to official requirements.

" I received a tele-fax with no official stamp and I suppose it's a request. It's an incomplete request by a telecopy," Zappelli said.

Zardari and his assassinated wife Benazir Bhutto , were convicted by a Geneva court in 2003 of laundering 13 million dollars linked to kickbacks, but that verdict was overturned on appeal. In 2008, Swiss judicial authorities said they had closed the file related to the case.

Zappelli had earlier said that Pakistan's embassy in Switzerland had officially notified him in June 2008 of a decision by Pakistan's prosecutor-general in April to withdraw proceedings against Zardari.

A trial for money laundering in Switzerland would have to be based on the proceedings of the criminal activity, but that would require proof that a crime had been committed, he had said. ANI)